ambition

¹am·bi·tion

noun \am-ˈbi-shən\

Definition of AMBITION

1

a : an ardent desire for rank, fame, or power

b : desire to achieve a particular end

2

: the object of ambition <her ambition is to start her own business>

3

: a desire for activity or exertion <felt sick and had no ambition>

— am·bi·tion·less \-ləs\ adjective

Examples of AMBITION

1. My first ambition as a child was to be in the circus.
2. He lacked ambition and couldn't compete with the others.

Origin of AMBITION

Middle English, from Middle French or Latin; Middle French, from Latin ambition-, ambitio, literally, act of soliciting for votes, from ambire

First Known Use: 14th century

Related to AMBITION

Synonyms

ambitiousness, aspiration, go-getting

Related Words

determination, diligence, drive, energy, enterprise, go, hustle, industry, initiative, motivation, push; aggression, competitiveness, killer instinct; opportunism, overambitiousness, pretentiousness, pushiness; assertiveness, daring, spirit; ardor, avidity, eagerness, keenness, passion; avarice, greed, hunger

Near Antonyms

apathy, halfheartedness, indifference, unconcern; idleness, indolence, inertia, laziness, lethargy, shiftlessness, sloth

Synonym Discussion of AMBITION

ambition, aspiration, pretension mean strong desire for advancement. ambition applies to the desire for personal advancement or preferment and may suggest equally a praiseworthy or an inordinate desire <driven by ambition>. aspiration implies a striving after something higher than oneself <an aspiration to become president someday>. pretension suggests ardent desire for recognition of accomplishment often without actual possession of the necessary ability and therefore may imply presumption <has literary pretensions>.

Rhymes with AMBITION

addition, admission, attrition, audition, beautician, clinician, cognition, coition, commission, condition, contrition, demission, dentition, dismission, Domitian, edition, emission, ethician, fruition, ignition, Kittitian, lenition, logician, magician, Mauritian, monition, mortician, munition, musician, nutrition, omission, optician, partition, patrician, perdition, permission, petition, Phoenician, physician, Politian, position, punition, remission, rendition, sedition, submission, suspicion, tactician, technician, tradition, transition, transmission, tuition, volition

²ambition

transitive verb

Definition of AMBITION

: to have as one's ambition : desire

First Known Use of AMBITION

1664

Rhymes with AMBITION

audition, commission, condition, munition, partition, patrician, petition, Phoenician, position, suspicion, transition